Tears of a Fool
by Kayeth Creed
Summary: Alternate Universe. Ken visits the former Digimon Empress, and gets more than he bargained for, including a friend. Sap warning!


**__**

Tears of a Fool

By: Kayeth

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Here comes the rain again

Fallin' on my head like a memory…..

The rain. How he despised the rain. It made everything seem so dark, so forlorn. That added to the almost black sky made the whole world seem downright depressing. And it wasn't helping his moral in completing his mission in the slightest.

He hadn't brought Minomon with him, probably all the better. The little caterpillar had never been too fond of water, and it was in abundance now, the liquid ice kind that kept splashing him as he continued to step in puddles, despite his best efforts.

_'Could someone **please** explain to me what had me possessed to go do this?'_

'Because you care about her, dolt.' Was the brutally honest reply from the voice in his head. Joy, even his mind was turning against him.

Cody, one of his closest friend, had warned him not to go. Sure, she may have admitted she'd done evil and wanted to change, but she still wasn't trustworthy. She might be trying to trick them.

Ryo had been skeptical, but had told Ken to go along and do what he thought was right, even though he said it probably wouldn't do much good.

He hadn't spoken to Davis either, and he had no idea as to how the begoggled boy would react to the statement that he was going to visit the person who had been their worst enemy for several months.

Kari would probably have agreed with him, but she would have made the whole group come along. That would never do. Even though Ken was sure she meant well, that could make things worse. 

He wasn't to sure what Catherine would have said. She'd been so set on making the Digimon Empress pay for what she'd done when they were enemies, but now the blonde girl seemed torn between trusting their enemy or not.

And TK…..oh, he hadn't even _tried_ to talk to him. His view on her was clear enough. She was evil, she had chosen darkness, she was tainted forever. Therefore, she had to be done away with. As much as he respected TK, his attitude about evil was somewhat depressing.

At least he had _some_ pretense to go see her. Osamu was close friends with her older sisters….the reason why he knew them Ken had not chose to ask. He knew them by sight, Emika and the younger Midori. But that had only been a few times, and he didn't know anything about them other than from what Osamu told him.

A car sped by, and he barely missed being drenched. Bother. This just wasn't his day. First his friends' skepticism, then the weather….what next?

Ah, good. He was finally at the apartment building. Now all he had to do was climb a few flights of stairs. This really wasn't his day…

At least climbing all those stairs would give him time to think. And he had plenty to think about, no doubt about it. Not all of it he wanted to dwell on, however.

_'Oh, god, what have I done? **What have I done?!**'_

Ken shuddered. Her cry when she finally understood what she'd done was horrifying, and it would resonate in his mind forever. And the bitter tears she'd shed, for her evil, for her Digimon….

He did a double take, realizing he had reached the right floor. Had he climbed that fast? Oh well.

It was easy enough to find the right apartment. The placard with the family name gleamed proudly on the door. Now all he had to do was knock.

Before he could do so, the door opened. 

The seventeen year-old blond girl let out a small exclamation of surprise as she almost walked right into him, dropping her purse and coat. Ken immediately bent down and helped her gather her things.

"I am _so_ sorry…" she began apologetically, then looked at him closely "Ken! What are you doing here?"

"Emika…I….I came to see Yolei….is she okay?"

Behind her glasses, Emika's cinnamon eyes became somber, and she shook her head.

"She's just as bad as when she came home. Sits in her room and cries, when she's not sleeping. Midori and I have to bring her meals and make sure she finishes them, or she won't eat. I hope you can talk some sense into her. Or at least talk to her."

Emika stepped out of the doorway, and gestured into the entrance.

"Go on. Midori and my parents are working in the shop, they'll be home in about an hour. I hope you can help her. I have to go."

Ken nodded, and watched his brother's friend vanish down the hall. With a heavy sigh, he stepped into the apartment.

It was unremarkable, as far as homes go. Breakfast dishes were piled in the sink, cereal boxes still on the table, and a newspaper was flung carelessly across the counter. Ken picked it up to get a closer look.

**__**

Inoue Yolei, Missing for Two Months, Mysteriously Returns Home

After vanishing without a trace two months ago, twelve year-old Inoue Yolei reappeared home just as mysteriously as she had gone. The girl was unharmed, but the family refused to comment, stating that their daughter needed time to recover. Many rumors…..

Ken set the newspaper back down on the counter. The black and white photo of Yolei-prior to her return home-stared up at him, the haughty expression she'd worn so many times visible in the back of her eyes.

_'Ugh. Now, what am **I** supposed to do? What am I supposed to say to her? And more importantly, where the heck is her room?'_

Fortunately, the last question was easily answered. The bedrooms lining the hallway all had their doors open, all except one. That was her's.

Ignoring the furious butterflies in his stomach, Ken grabbed the doorknob, and eased the door open.

He couldn't see her at first, but he could see the rest of the room well enough. It was neat enough to have been a hotel room. Other than the rumpled and unmade bed, there was no sign _anyone_ had ever lived here.

Then a quiet, muffled sob reached his ears. Ken turned, and saw the once proud and mighty Digimon Empress huddled in the corner, wrapped in a dark blue comforter, crying. Her purple hair hung limp and straight across her shoulders and in her face, a far cry from the elaborate black hairstyle of the Empress. It took Ken a moment to absorb the fact that she was wearing glasses, he'd never seen them before, not even when she'd been in the real world. 

But what startled him the most where her eyes. They were no longer the slitted amber eyes that glowed with a dangerous light, the eyes they'd seen almost every day as they fought the Empress. Her eyes were now a defeated, faded gold, stained faintly red from crying.

As he stood there, unsure of what to do, she became aware of his presence in the room, and looked up. Her eyes widened with recognition, and then fear. She pulled the comforter around her closer, as if she was trying to shrink out of existence.

Ken knelt beside her, and put his hand on her shoulder. She flinched, and looked up at him in terror, as if she expected him to strike her.

"Yolei…?"

She stared at him, and finally, after a silence that seemed infinite, spoke.

"…Ken? I-I'm so sorry…" she broke down into tears again. Awkwardly, Ken put his arm around her, trying to calm her down. He just couldn't handle emotional people, they unnerved him. Catherine was bad enough…

"…I haven't cried since…I don't remember when….Now I can't stop…" Yolei whispered, slowing her tears enough to look up at him. Her glasses were spattered with tears, making him wonder how she could see through them.

"Why didn't you guys kill me? It was what I deserved….after what I did to you…after what I did to _Hawkmon….._" at the mention of her Digimon, she broke down again, burying her face in Ken's shoulder, grateful for the small amount of comfort he was offering. No longer embarrassed, he pulled her close, stroking her hair as if she was a child.

"You're not evil Yolei, we couldn't do that. You're one of us."

"After all I did? After all I was? You can't be serious." Her voice was defeated, barely above a whisper.

"I am."

She was quiet after that, and Ken thought she'd gone to sleep. He just continued to hold her, stroking her hair. A faraway rumble of thunder resonated, sounding more like a purr than anything else.

"The tennis match, before…you know…remember?" Yolei suddenly spoke, her voice soft, though it still startled Ken to a certain degree.

"Yes?"

"You were watching me."

Ken felt his face burn, but Yolei didn't take any notice.

"I knew you and your friends by then…..and I also saw your Digimon. And Osamu was there, wasn't he?"

"Yes." _'Teasing me mercilessly that I had a crush on the stunning Inoue Yolei.'_

She shifted a bit, drawing the comforter closer around her.

"My sisters always talked about him, and he would always be here at our house…..I just never bothered to get to know him….just like every single person I met during that time."

"I used to think that all the people around me were fools…but the fool was me. I didn't see what was really there, I saw what I wanted to see. Now every time I look in a mirror….I see Hawkmon staring back at me…."

To her credit, she didn't start crying again, she just trembled like a frightened child during a thunderstorm. As they were at the moment, Ken realized. The rain had faded from his mind long ago.

"Am I ever going to see him again?!" she demanded in anguish, grabbing his arm in a vise-like grip. Ken winced. She was just as strong as she had been as the Empress, and from Catherine's personal experience, that was strength to be reckoned with.

Dare he raise her hopes? Some Digimon took hundreds of years to be reborn, while some only took a few days. Should he tell her about Primary Village?

Yes. She deserved to have a hope, no matter how faint.

"There…there's a place in the Digital World called Primary Village." He began, still unsure if this was wise. She relaxed her grip on his arm, much to his relief. 

"I've heard of it. What is it exactly?" Yolei's voice was surprisingly calm, despite the fact that she was still shaking in his arms.

"It's a place were new Digimon are born…..and Digimon who have been deleted are reborn." He answered, positively terrified of what she might do. Would she start crying again? He hoped not, even though he was fairly hopeful that he could calm her again. It was more likely that she'd either be shocked, or overjoyed.

To his dismay, she was both. But shock would describe her first reaction more fully.

Her eyes went wide, and she seized _both_ of his arms in a grip he was sure would cause them to snap in two.

_"What!?"_

"You-Hawkmo-You'll find your Digimon there…" Ken rushed, hoping that would calm her into removing her death-grip on him. To his utmost relief, she did, and flung her arms around his neck, making him wonder just what shade of red his face had flushed to. 

"Arigatou, Ken…..chan." she whispered, then her own face turned the same shade of red Ken presumed his own face to be. She looked up at him, a mix of fear and amusement in her golden eyes.

"Did I just say that?" she asked, embarrassed and amused. Ken couldn't help himself, he laughed, and after a moment, she joined him. The quiet laughter did wonders to the atmosphere of the room, even though the two had almost already forgotten what had been so funny.

"So…where is Primary Village anyway?" she asked, her voice much more stable than before, making a world of difference.

"Tell you what, let me go home to get Minomon and I'll take you there."

Yolei's expression shifted to mild surprise "You will?"

"Yes."

She smiled broadly, she pulled away from him and clamored to her feet, letting the comforter slip off her. Self consciously, she smoothed out the plain and rumpled T-shirt and jeans she was wearing as Ken also stood up.

"I'll be back in.." he glanced down at his watch "..half an hour. Your parents should be home by then, and you can explain to them where you're going."

Yolei nodded, and with some hastily remembered courtesy, escorted him to the door.

Before he left, he cast a quick glance back at her.

She looked almost nothing like the Digimon Empress had. The Empress had been stunning, but in a dangerous, evil way. Ken knew he hadn't been the only boy in the group who had noticed how lovely she had been, a cold stone statue carved with absolute perfection. Now her features were softer, as revealed by the faint sunlight coming through the blinds. Her eyes were no longer amber and slitted, with the disturbing resemblance to a snake's, nor were they dull and defeated. Her hair, no longer dyed jet black and styled into an elaborate crown, flowed over her shoulders, glistening violet.

A far cry from the Empress, but with a kind and hopeful smile, he was sure she had never looked so beautiful.

A/N: *twitches, falls to the ground, and dies from utter overload of **SAP***

**Hak: ***looks at the presumably dead author with mild interest*

**Jenn:** Oh dear. 

**Hak: **Looks like we lost our author. Oh, well. She let it slip that she was going to kill one of us anyway.

**Jenn: **Really? Who?

****

Hak: Haven't the slightest clue. However, I've _heard _it was one of us two.

****

Jenn: Joy.

****

*instantly comes to* H-Hey! How'd you guys get in here? And that's confidential information!!

**Hak:** Suuuuuurrrrrre.

No, really! And, um, no one is going to die! Eh heh heh heh…*lame laughter*

**Jenn: ***with very **fake** sincerity* Don't worry, Kayeth. We believe you.

**Hak:** *following Jenn's example* You're our author. We honor and revere-

Enough!!! *whines* You guys are mean!

**Jenn&Hak: **Weknow.

There's your request Kat-chan. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. ^_^


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